ART AND TECHNOLOGY MERGE
IN AN INNOVATIVE NEW
STRUCTURE ON UTD’S CAMPUS.

URBANSCAPERS

om Linehan says he’s afraid to advertise the maverickarts and technology degrees offered by the University ofTexas at Dallas. Since 2004, ATEC enrollment has morethan quadrupled to 1,140 students, and the stunning new“We don’t advertise because I can’t handle the growth,” says thedirector of the Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering. “Andyou gotta be smart to get in here.”The $60-million facility is designed to nurture the artists, sounddesigners, techies, and writers who come together to create videogames, online training systems, animated films, web content, andother digital media. It shelters classes for bachelor’s, master’s anddoctoral degrees in arts and technology in addition to programsfor bachelor’s and master’s degrees in emerging media andcommunications (EMAC), which teaches messaging across multipleplatforms.

“This building brings together art and technology, whichshare a common element, which is creativity—a process of makingsomething,” says David E. Daniel, president of the university andan engineering Ph.D. “In science and engineering, our languageis mostly mathematics, which means it’s not for artists. It’s a greatchasm of communication, but the computer makes that go away.It has math embedded in it, and it can generate all sorts of shapes.Now artists have math in their toolbox without even thinkingabout it.”Studios Architecture, the award-winning firm that designedGoogle’s headquarters, created the quirky space in which rightangles are few and many traditions of academia have been discarded.Hallways are rarely square, as walls are angled or curved—the betterto challenge students who are drawing perspectives or simply rattleexpectations and convention. Professors aren’t awarded officeswhose sizes reflects rank or even grouped by department. In fact,

T

From top: The 155,000-square-foot Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Bui-dling; a second-floor entrance to the lecture hall that doubles as a study; classroom, student labs, and conference rooms offer views along the perimeter; and a
second-story walkway connects two sides of the Building.